Oxidative addition of mercury(II) halides and carboxylates to platinum(II): formation of Pt-Hg covalent and donor-acceptor bonds

The complex PtMe₂(bu₂bpy)], 1, bu₂bpy = 4,4′-di-t-butyl-2,2′-bipyridine reacts with mercury(II) halides HgX₂ (X = Cl, Br, O₂CCF₃, O₂CMe) to give the corresponding complexes PtMe₂X(HgX)(bu₂bpy)], 2, by trans oxidative addition followed, when X = O₂CCF₃, O₂CMe only, by easy isomerization to the cis isomers 3. The complexes 2 or 3 react with complex 1 to give the corresponding adducts PtMe₂X(bu₂bpy)(μ-HgX)PtMe₂X(bu₂bpy)], 4, which are shown to contain both covalent and donor-acceptor Pt-Hg bonds in the solid state, and which exhibit very easy fluxionality in solution.